The Mist
by MarieRock
Summary: AU: A mysterious mist envelopes a small town store, making the residents panic. Once monstrous creatures start to eject from the mist, a broken family pulls together to aid their friends and neighbors. IchiRuki. Based on Stephen King's The Mist.
1. Chapter 1

Hello there! :) So, here's my next IchiRuki fanfic, which also happens to be another Stephen King based novel story! :)

Just so you know, this story will be based on the movie because I have yet to read the book. I've been wanting to for some time now, and I have it, I just haven't gotten the time, I suppose. So yes, this is based on just the movie. But we all know that I don't stick to the exact plot anyways, so I guess it doesn't matter. :D

One more thing! I'm pretty sure this fic is going to be more gory than _Rukia_, just because Stephen King's version is so gory. I'll try to make all you lovers-of-gore satisfied with how I depict those scenes.

Anyways, here's chapter one! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

There was a storm the night before we went to the store. It was a pretty bad one, knocking one of the neighbors' trees down and tearing off a lot of the shingles of our house. As Rukia and I went outside to inspect the damage the next morning, I could hear her sigh as she wrapped her arms around her small frame, trying to block the wind. I felt my usual scowl deepen as I stared at the house.

The sliding glass doors had been struck by a torn branch from the neighbors' tree and was smashed in, glass laid out all over the kitchen floor. Several shingles lay about the yard, along with the branch that had shattered our door, and the fence around the backyard had two sides that had fallen over. I sighed also, running a hand through my spiky, untamed hair.

Rukia glanced at me before speaking. "How much do you think it'll cost to fix?" she asked, squinting as she peered up at me.

I stared at the house for a moment longer, still silent, before replying, "More than we can afford."

I noticed her roll her large eyes. "What a great answer," she snapped sarcastically.

"Just shut up, I'm not completely sure. Don't get bitchy, it's not like this is _my_ fault," I answered angrily, still not looking at her. I shifted my weight from my left foot to my right, keeping the gap between us as we usually did. Things hadn't been going so well with us lately. We'd been married for ten years now, but it seemed like ever since our son, Kiba, was born we grew farther apart.

"I'm not being bitchy, you ass! This is horrible, I think I have the right to be upset about this! What the hell-?!" she started, stopping when she noticed Kiba approach us. The nine-year-old looked confused and worried, but soon grinned when we both smiled back at him. The smiles were forced, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Mommy, Daddy, what are we gonna do about the house?" he asked, looking from me to Rukia.

Rukia looked at me, obviously wanting me to answer. "We'll fix it, don't worry," I stated, noticing Rukia roll her eyes again. I ignored her.

"How long will it take?" he asked, his attention back to me.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Not too long. I'll start today, okay?" I responded, trying to ease his worries.

"Does that mean you're going to the store?" he questioned, now excited, seeming to forget about his concern. He always like to go the store, no matter which one it was, but I never really understood why. I just had to remember that he was a nine-year-old, after all.

"Yep. You wanna come?" I asked, absently placing my hand over my eyes, shielding them from the morning sun.

"Yeah!" he answered. "Mommy, you should come too!" he said, turning back to her.

She shook her head, her raven hair blowing in her face before she brushed it away, annoyed. She still had her fake smile plastered on her face, though. "I'm sorry, Sweety, Mommy's busy today. I've got to clean the house, it'll take-" she began reciting her usual excuse before Kiba cut her off.

"The house is trashed. You can't do much until Daddy fixes it. Come on, please!" he asked, smiling when she sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I'll come," she said, now not even trying to pretend to be please. I guess sitting in the truck next to me was too hard to bear. "Just let me go get a jacket, it's freezing," she said, her face blank.

Kiba noticed and looked up at me, worried again. I smiled back down at him, trying to be more genuine this time, and shook my head to an un-asked question. "She's fine, Kiba. She's just worried about the house. Don't worry about it."

He nodded, still looking concerned. "Go get in the truck and buckle up, we'll be out there soon," I said, watching as he walked toward the jet black vehicle. Just then, Rukia stepped out of the house, pulling one of my sweatshirts over her head and matting down the hair that stuck up after wards.

"I hope you don't mind," she said absently. "All mine were dirty."

I shook my head, dismissing the subject. "Look, I'm sorry I called you a bitch, or said you were acting bitchy, or whatever. This is just...stressing me out. I'm sorry," I said, taking a step closer to her, breaking the invisible boundary we usually respected.

She gave me a skeptical look, crossing her arms over her chest before taking a step away from me. "It's fine," she said, still not meaning it. Rukia never seemed to let go of anything I did.

I nodded, about to let it go, but decided to try again. "I mean it, Rukia, I'm sorry." I took another step towards her, lightly grabbing her arm. All I wanted was to patch things up with her, for Kiba's sake more than for my own. He was too young to have divorced parents, and that's what seemed to be the only option Rukia was willing to consider.

She acted like she was going to pull away again, but noticed Kiba watching us. Then she turned back to me. "Look, just forget it, okay? I already said, I forgive you," she said, her small eyebrows knitting together in frustration. "I don't know why you're acting so weird, but just knock it off. You act as if Kiba can hear us."

"Why does he have to be around for things to be okay? Even when he is, their not! We just fake it, for his sake, but it's not like it's helping! He's not stupid, he knows there's a problem!" I exclaimed.

"Why do you care?! You've never cared before!"

"Bull shit!"

"Why are you acting like this? What's your problem!?" she asked, now pulling her small arm out of my grasp.

"**This** is my problem! I can't even apologize to you without you getting mad at me!" I said, causing her to look away guiltily. "Rukia...what happened to us?" I asked, feeling a frown tug at my features.

She snapped her head back to look at me again. "This isn't the time to talk about it. We need to get to the store and fix the house. Now, let's act like we made up and we can talk later," she said, smiling pleasantly, so that Kiba would notice. I sighed, not wanting to play her little game, but decided it would be better for Kiba.

Rukia took a few steps closer before hugging me, resting her head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her small body, the action almost foreign to me now. After awhile, she pulled away, still smiling pleasantly. "We'll talk tonight," she said before striding to the truck. I stood there a few seconds before following her.

* * *

The store that we went to was a mixture of a hardware store and a grocery store. I honestly don't even remember the name of it, we just called it The Store. The front entrance was all wide windows that stretched from top to bottom, allowing anyone who passed to easily see inside. We lived in a small town, so whenever you went to The Store you usually knew most of the people there.

As we approached the store Rukia said, "It looks like it's going to rain again."

I nodded. "You're right. Come on, let's get inside before it starts," I said, opening my door, and stepping out. Rukia and Kiba exited on the other side of the truck, walking ahead of me into the store. I stared at the darkening sky absently, and then followed them inside. As I walked into The Store, I saw Rukia talking to someone, holding Kiba. I approached Rukia and soon noticed that the person she was talking to was Kisuke Urahara.

"Oh, hello, Kurosaki!" he exclaimed, waving enthusiastically. I nodded my hello and took my place behind Rukia, standing a little closer than she probably liked. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks," I lied. "A little stressed about the house, but other than that, I'm fine. How about you?" I asked, only half interested. I was eager to get back to home and get something done.

"I'm great, thank you!" he answered. "Kiba's really growing, he looks just like you," Kisuke said, roughly ruffling Kiba's orange spikes, making him pull away. Kisuke only laughed and apologized. We talked a little bit, but nothing that interested me enough to listen. He said he had to go, so we ended our conversation and headed toward the hardware section.

"Let's hurry up and get out of here," Rukia said, sighing.

As I was about to reply, I noticed something moving towards The Store quickly, suddenly. I turned my gaze to the window, gaining Rukia's attention. "What is it, Ichigo?" She asked, but I didn't answer. She then turned her head toward the window and saw what I saw. A thick layer of fog was sliding across the air, seeming to seep from a certain area in the distance, spreading. Everyone was watching, the chatter that was filling the building only seconds ago had died down. That's when we saw a figure run toward The Store, screaming bloody murder, sending a chill up my spine.

* * *

Okay, so that's it! :) It's kind of...fast, I think, for a first chapter, but that's how the movie is, I think.

Also, did anyone notice how mean Rukia was? Yeah, well, no worries. Thing's change before you know it! :D

Anyways, I hope you all liked it. Please review! Please and thank you! :D:D:D:D


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, I'm back. I'm sorry to the people I told I'd have chapter two up a few days ago, but things just kept coming up.

Also, in this story, Rukia, Byakuya, and Hisana are not related what so ever. :) Just so you know!

**ALSO, in this story, I've made Kon a human. You might all think that's stupid, but I love Kon and hate not being able to include him in my stories, so Kon is indeed Kon, he's just a person!**

Well, here's chapter 2. Hope you enjoy! :D

* * *

Before I could see the unfamiliar man's face screams filled the small building. My eyes widened as I noticed the blood running from his nose, some staining the collar of his T-shirt. I took a step closer to Rukia as he came into the building.

"The mist! They're in the mist, everyone get back!" he shouted, causing people to step away from him. Someone quickly closed the door. "It's in the mist, you all have to stay here!"

The manager of the store, Ikkaku Madarame, stepped to the front of the crowd that formed since the man had burst in. "Calm down! What are you talking about? _What's_ in the mist?" he asked, absently crossing his arms over his chest.

"I-...I don't know!" the man exclaimed, looking around nervously. "I've never seen anything like it before! It's got a friend of mine, it's a huge creature with-" he began before a woman I recognized as Rangiku cut him off.

"You're crazy!" she retorted, glaring at the man. "There's nothing out there, it's just mist. Now get out of my way, I need to get home," she said, stepping forward while others just watched. The man stood directly in front of her now.

"No! No one can leave! It's out there!" she shouted, his eyes pleading with the woman.

She nudged him out of the way, her glare deepening. "I think I can manage," she spat sarcastically. She pushed the door open and walked out into the foggy parking lot, every eye on her. She disappeared into the mist as everyone fell completely silent again. Moments went by before we heard her scream fill the air. There was no doubt that the high pitched shriek was hers. They were covered up quickly by indescribable noises from the..._creature_.

Others screamed as well, the man who ran in minutes earlier looking guilty as he pressed his hands to his face. Ikkaku looked at him accusingly. "What the hell was that?!" he demanded.

The man shook his head which was still resting in his hands. "I don't know! I tried to warn her, she wouldn't listen! I really tri-" he started, being cut. The items on shelves began to shake before we could feel it in the ground. It was an earthquake.

More screams filled the room as everything started falling from their places. Rukia fell on the ground beside me, still holding Kiba. I quickly but carefully knelt down next to her, leaning over them, shielding anything from falling on them. Rukia grabbed my arm to stay sitting up while Kiba clung to her, crying loudly, his cries drowned out by the screams.

It ended quickly, not damaging much. People were talking loudly, trying to figure out what was happening. I stood, carefully helping Rukia up. She was trying to sooth Kiba, who was still crying. I turned away from them, about to return to the front of the building before Rukia grabbed my arm, stopping me. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going to go find out what's going on," I said, lightly pulling away and continuing. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd, noticing Rukia follow me. I didn't say anything.

"No, you can't leave!" I heard a voice say as I reached the front, stepping aside so Rukia could see what was going on.

"I have to!" Orihime Inoue said, her voice trembling as tears ran down her face.

"Didn't you hear what happened to Matsumoto-san?! You can't go out there!" the man in front of the door said.

"You don't understand!" she continued, wiping some tears away. "I-I...I left the kids at home! I was only supposed to be here for a few minutes! They're home alone, the oldest is only nine! I can't leave them alone!" she shouted, sobbing now.

Everyone watched her, not knowing what to say. "So," she continued, looking around, "is there anyone who'll...walk me home?" she asked, people avoiding her gaze. "Well? Aren't there any men willing to take a lady home?" she asked again, looking at the manager. "You?"

He looked away, a glare still present on his face. Orihime looked at one of the older employees, Kon, for an answer. He also turned his head, looking guilty.

Then her eyes met mine expectantly. "_You_?"

I didn't turn away, I just returned her gaze, a frown trying to cover my mild scowl. "I have my own family to worry about," I answered, gesturing to Rukia and Kiba.

She glared, tears still flowing from her eyes, and she stormed to the front of the store. The man still stood there, looking at her. "Please, don't," he said quietly.

"Move. Please," she answered. No one said anything as he stepped aside and allowed her to walk out. We listened, but never heard a scream. We didn't hear anything.

* * *

Everyone agreed to stay in the building after that. We all separated into groups, sitting in aisles. Rukia was sitting next to me, a small gap between us, and Kiba was laying next to her with his head in her lap. She was absently rubbing his back, trying to get him to fall asleep.

I leaned my head back against the aisle shelf, closing my eyes and sighing. I heard Rukia shift beside me, a sigh escaping her lips also. I looked down at her and saw her lean back tiredly. I scooted closer to her, pulling my arm around her thin shoulders and pulling her against me. I expected her pull away, but she allowed it, resting her head against my chest as she closed her eyes.

Soon after she opened her eyes again, looking down at Kiba, who pulled closer to her as well. He was sleeping, snoring lightly, his head resting against Rukia's stomach. She rested her hand on his head, absently playing with his hair.

"...What do you think is out there?" she asked suddenly, not taking her eyes off of Kiba's sleeping form.

I was silent a moment before I answered. "I'm not sure...I've never heard anything like it before."

She stiffened slightly, obviously worried. I pulled her closer again. "Don't worry. We'll be fine," I said, trying to sooth her worries. She nodded, closing her eyes again.

The older employee, Kon, approached us then. "How are you guys?" he asked, kneeling down in front of us. "Do you need anything?"

Rukia didn't bother looking up at him before shaking her head. "Uh," I started. "Where can we find some blankets?" I asked, slowly sliding out of Rukia's grip.

"Oh, that's aisle four," he said, standing again. "We'll probably be here for awhile, so help yourselves to whatever you need."

"Thanks," I said, standing as he walked away. "I'll be right back," I said when Rukia looked up at me, causing her to nod. I went to the fourth aisle and began grabbing some of the few blankets that were left. I was about to turn to leave, but noticed the door that led back to the generator. For some reason, I decided to go check on it, so I carried the bundled blankets into the back room and soon dropped them. The generator was smoking wildly.

I ran into the fenced in machine and quickly turned the switch, causing the smoke to stop seeping from it. I held my hand to my mouth and coughed wildly. After I regained my composure I stepped out of the fenced area and began to pick up the blankets, only to drop them, startled. The garage styled door shifted loudly, as if something was running into it. I stared at the door wide-eyed as it continued, unable to move. _What the hell is that?... _

* * *

Okay, here's chapter two! :D

Hope you liked it! :)

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

I didn't expect to update so soon, especially since I just spent hours updating my other story, but I'm back again! :D

**Btw, Renji is that awesome motorcycle guy that ties the rope around his waist. I wasn't sure if I described him good enough and I plan on putting him in the story a lot more than the guy was in the movie, on account that I love Renji to death. :) So yeah, just thought I'd let you know! :D**

So, anyways, here's chapter three! :3

* * *

I stood there, staring at the door for what seemed like forever. My hands clenched into fists at my side, caused by my nerves. The thing started beating against the door harder, causing me to jump. I quickly ran out of the storage room, looking for anyone. I almost ran right into Kon, Ishida Uryuu, the teenage bag boy that worked at The Store, and Renji Abarai, another local man I recognized right away. They looked at me, cocking their eyebrows.

I was breathing deeply, still trying to calm down, holding onto the collar of my shirt tightly. "Th-there's...There's something out there!" I said, gasping for air.

Kon pushed himself off of the aisle he had been leaning on. "What? Kurosaki, what's the matter?" he asked, looking concerned.

I shook my head, standing straight again, my breathing finally regulating. "There's something outside the back of The Store," I said. "It's trying to bust open the door to the storage room!"

They looked at each other skeptically before turning back to me. "You're crazy," Ishida said, glaring at me.

"No," I said, shaking my head again. "No! Come see for yourselves!"

"Fine," he responded, walking towards the storage room, followed by me and the two curious men. The shaking had stopped, it was quiet. They all looked at me, Ishida looking pissed off.

"No! It was moving! Something's out there!" I said, feeling a little crazy.

"Okay, then," Uryuu started again. "Turn the generator back on and open the door. I'll go check it out."

"You can't! Just...you have to believe me!' I pleaded with him.

"I'll make a decision once I've seen for myself. Open the door, Renji," he said to the other man, seeming to ignore me.

Renji looked at me as I shook my head, unable to help the frown that was on my face. He sighed and stepped into the caged area, flipping the switch that made the generator roar to life. A hand covered his mouth as he coughed, the machine still spitting smoke. He ignore the smoke and pushed a button that caused the door to slide open, stopping it when the garage-styled door was open enough.

Ishida knelt down, peering out the door, resting his hands on the cement floor. "Please, don't!" I said, trying one more time to get him to stay inside. He turned back to me, rolling his eyes.

"Calm down," he said. "There's nothing even out here, so you can shu-" he started, being interrupted by a limb of the monster I _knew_ I had heard wrapped around his torso quickly and began to drag him out of the opening in the door. He screamed loudly along with a startled Kon. I ran to Ishida, grabbing his arm but pulling away when another tentacle-like limb came toward me. I fell on my ass, scooting away from it.

When it retreated, I grabbed Uryuu's arm again as he continued to scream. "Get the axe!" I screamed to Kon and Renji. "Hurry, GET THE FUCKING AXE!"

I saw Renji run toward the glass box that held the axe I was referring to. He punched the glass without a second thought and grabbed the red-handled axe, ignoring the blood that was running down his arm.

Before Renji could reach us, the creature took a chunk out of Ishida's shoulder, his blood seeping onto my shirt and getting on my arms. Before I could react Renji was there, slamming the axe into one of the several limbs that now possessed Uryuu's body. He managed to cut one off, but it wasn't enough. The other four or five overpowered me and dragged a still screaming Ishida out of the storage room, causing me to fall over again.

Everything fell silent for a second, ending when Renji dropped the blood covered weapon and ran into the fenced in area again, closing the door and killing the generator again. I stood, backing away from where Ishida had just been, wiping some sweat from my forehead, feeling my stomach ache. I turned around from a shocked Kon and Renji and threw up anything that was in my stomach seconds before. Kon placed a trembling hand on my shoulder, causing me to turn around, glaring at Renji.

"Why did you open the door for him!?" I screamed.

"Look, he would have done it anyways, I couldn't have-" he began before I cut him off by punching him. I was about to throw more punches, but Kon held me back.

"He's a kid!" I shouted. "He's just a dumb kid! And now he's dead!"

Renji returned my glare but just listened.

"He's dead and his blood's all over me!" I exclaimed more to myself now, pulling away from Kon's grip. I wiped more sweat away with the back of my hand, breathing deeply again.

"Look, I'm sorry," Renji said.

I nodded, unable to answer.

"We have to warn everyone." Kon said, looking from me to Renji. I nodded again, standing upright, and taking a deep breathe.

As we stepped out of the storage room, a wide-eyed Rukia approached us, carrying a sleeping Kiba. "What happened?! Are you okay, Ichigo?" she asked, concern leaking into her voice.

I nodded, grabbing a random plain T-shirt off a shelf, and pulling the blood stained one over my head. I happily dropped it to the floor before replacing the bloody shirt with the new one.

She looked skeptical, of course. Anyone in their right mind would have known that we weren't alright. "You're so pale...and blood. Who's blood is that?" she asked, stepping closer to me absently.

"It's Ishida's," I said, using another clean T-shirt to wipe the boys blood off on my arms and face.

"That teenager that works here?" she asked, continuing when I nodded. "Where is he? What _happened_?" she asked impatiently.

"The thing...The thing in the mist got him. It came in from the storage room door...and it killed him," I answered, looking down, feeling sick to my stomach again. She must have noticed because she took another step toward me, now right next to me, and lightly rubbed my back with her unoccupied hand. Kiba stirred slightly in her grasp, but he didn't wake.

I looked over at Kon and noticed that he and Renji were drinking some beer they had gotten off a near by shelf. Kon was leaning against aisle, his head resting against the top shelf. "Kon, did you see what that thing looked like? Did you look at it at all?" I asked.

He sighed, some of his long, spiky, dark hair moving out of his eyes. He shook his head, slowly sliding his brown eyes to mine, looking guilty. "No, I didn't see anything except its...limb. I'm sorry," he answered, looking away.

"No, it's okay, it's not your fault...," I said, about to say more before the manager approached, glaring darkly at Kon.

"Kon? What are you doing? You're still working, why are you drinking?" he asked angrily? "And why is there blood on you?" he asked, now looking at me, pointing down at my jeans.

I looked down, noticing the drops of blood on my pants for the first time. I returned my gaze to him. "Look, something happened," I said.

He just looked back at me before saying, "Where's Ishida?"

"That's what I was talking about. Something...," I started, not wanting to think about the incident again. "Something in the mist got him. It came in from the storage room door and it got him. I killed him, we tried to stop it, but we couldn't. We couldn't stop it," I finished, noticing Rukia grabbing my arm. Kon and Renji nodded when Ikkaku gave us all a disbelieving look.

"Something...from the mist...came into the building and _killed_ Ishida?" he asked, his glare deepening.

I nodded again. "We have proof, just come back into the storage room with us," I said, gesturing towards the entrance absently. Rukia slid her arm down my arm and grabbed my hand, ready to come with us.

He agreed and we went into the small room that still smelled of blood and sweat. We all surrounded the detached limb, staring at it in silence. I heard Rukia gasp at the sight of it and lightly squeezed her small hand.

Just as quickly we were back in the store, Ikkaku calling for every ones attention. "Listen everyone!" he started, everyone falling silent and listening. "Whatever's out there...it's more dangerous than we thought. It got Ishida Uryuu. No one else leaves the store, not tonight. Agreed?" he asked, but before anyone could respond we heard a noise. As if on cue, the creature that had been haunting The Store gave a low, distant cry. If it was possible, I'd say it sounded satisfied.

* * *

Okay, so there's chapter three!

I hope you all enjoyed the goriness of this chapter. I tried my best! :D

Well, please review! Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so I'm back! :D

I'm sorry to you who wait and wait for me to update this story. I don't have any trouble writing this story, I'm just so caught up in another one that I often forget to update. I apologize, I know it's a lot different from _Rukia_, but I'm trying my best to write for this more often.

Also, Kaien's wife has made an entrance to cause some trouble between Ichigo and Rukia! :D Sadly, Kaien can not be part of the story also. :(

Alright, anyways, here's chapter four! Hope you enjoy! :4

* * *

After everyone agreed to stay in the building for the rest of the night, we separated into different groups again. Rukia and I returned to the aisle that we had been resting in before along with an old school teacher from the local elementary school. She knew Rukia because apparently Kiba had had her a few years before, so they kept each other company while I was in the storage room.

Rukia sat up next to me when everyone grew silent saying, "I've got to use the bathroom, can you take him for awhile?" She gestured towards Kiba's sleeping form in her lap. I nodded, carefully picked him up, and rested him on my chest while I leaned back against the aisle, his head laying on my shoulder. He wrapped his small arms around my neck in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent.

Rukia thanked me absently and walked away. I nodded, sighing tiredly, and leaning my head towards Kiba's lightly. Rukia returned quickly, but didn't look happy. I cocked an eyebrow as she sat down next to me, glaring deeply.

"What's wrong, Rukia?" I asked. Her glare deepened as she looked up at me.

"That Christian lady, Hisana, was in the bathroom when I got in there. She was crying, so I told her that if she needed to talk, I'd talk to her. Then she told me that she had God, and if she needed a friend like me, she'd shit one out!" she explained, her anger leaking into her voice.

I nodded, understanding. "Just ignore her, Rukia. She's probably just scared, just like everyone else."

"That doesn't give her the right to be a bitch!" Rukia retorted, folding her arms over her chest.

"I know, I know," I said, absently putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. She sighed, allowed it, and laid her head on my unoccupied shoulder. I closed my eyes, ready to sleep, when Renji approached us, clearing his throat, getting my attention. I looked up at him, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"We're stacking the windows, they told me to come get you," he said absently.

I nodded, unwillingly pulling away from Rukia and carefully handing Kiba back to her. I stood and followed Renji, seeing that people we grabbing bags of dog food and mulch, using anything they could find to cover the battered windows. There were crooked lines of duck tape on the places where the glass had cracked during the earthquake.

I went to the front along with Renji and took place of a shorter guy who seemed to be having trouble as the stacks of bags grew taller and taller. "I'll stack, you go ahead and help them get the bags," I said to the unfamiliar man, earning a nod. He left to do so as I continued tossing bag on top of bag. Everyone worked in silence as Hisana Kuchiki paced in front of the store, shouting verses from the Bible, quoting Revelations.

"Don't you see?!" she started, gaining several people's attention. "This is God's way of punishment!"

"What's he punishing us for?" someone asked with an aggravated tone.

"He hasn't made it clear yet, but he will! He'll let us know what we've done wrong!" she shouted back. "But meanwhile, He's going to take sacrifices! That boy was the first, He'll take more! He wants blood for redemption! And He'll certainly get it!" I heard a little girl cry at her words and glared at her.

"Shut the hell up! You're scaring them," I said, gesturing toward the few kids who were awake and being comforted by their parents.

"They should be scared!" she retorted, returning my scowl. She approached a little girl, her face now calm as she brushed some of the girls long curly hair out of her face. "But God has opened His arms to even the little children," she said soothingly, smiling warmly at the girl, gaining her trust, it seemed. "Such a beautiful little girl," she continued, the girls mother thanking her for the compliment. She turned back to me after straightening up, brushing some wrinkles out of her dress. "Your child should be scared as well."

My glare deepened and my hands clenched into fists, but she ignored it and continued to preach to the crowd who started to pay attention now. I turned back to my work, still glaring.

We worked in silence again, excluding Kuchiki, until there was a click of the glass. Someone screamed and when he fell back away from the window, Kon gained everyone's attention. He pointed a shaky finger at the window, our gazes landing on a large insect looking creature. As we all stared at it, more came, landing on the window loudly. People started to panic, scrambling away from the windows. Then, a larger creature slammed against the glass, causing a crack to run down the window. People screamed and stood in shock. I jumped at the sudden attack, and backed up a little, ready to return to Rukia and Kiba if the monster entered our shelter.

The monster slammed its self into the window several times, each time earning screams in return. Finally, after the fifth time, the glass broke and the monster flew in the building, shrieking wildly. The creature flew around the ceiling of the store, shrieking and acting like it didn't know what it was doing. That didn't stop it from endangering us, though.

I knew I had to do something before the creature flew to the back of the store, closer to my family. I grabbed a mop from a random aisle shelf, lighter fluid from another shelf, and a lighter. I saw a woman who looked familiar and tossed the lighter and the fluid to her, telling her to set the mop on fire. Absently, I remembered her name: Miyako Shiba.

Miyako did so without question, having trouble. "Hurry!" I said, sweat forming on my forehead.

Just then, the fire caught and the mop was aglow. I stepped away from her and followed the creature. Well, one of them. By then a second had joined us in the tight building. I swung, the flames only brushing against the flying monster. I growled angrily, swung again, and hit it. It caught fire right away, falling to the ground. Quickly, I kicked the flaming mop head off and used the wooden handle to impale the creature, causing blood that was abnormally dark red to seep from the wound. Miyako started squirting the lighter fluid on it carefully, causing the creature to give one last cry.

"Thanks for your help," I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead with my arm, sighing tiredly. I didn't wait for her answer before turning my attention to the other. I soon realized with terror that the second flying monster had started stalking around the aisle Rukia and Kiba had been resting in. Running as fast as I could, I stopped suddenly when I saw Kiba walking down between the aisles, noticing me also. He stopped, not realizing that one of the things were approaching him, wounded in the wing, unable to fly. I approached the center aisle and saw Kon holding a gun, pointing it at the creature. My eyes widened at the scene and I felt an adrenaline rush as I rushed for Kiba, pulling him away from the thing just in time to hear the gun go off, killing it.

I held Kiba tightly, breathing deeply. He hugged me back, frowning, but not seeming to know what was wrong. Finally I asked, "Where's your mother?"

He looked up at me as best as he could; I had still not loosened my grip on him. "She left to find you, she said not to move, but...I was alone, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get in the way," he said.

I shook my head, patting his shoulder, probably a little too roughly. "It's okay, you just have to be more careful," I said, standing and picking him up with me. "Let's go find Mommy, okay?" I asked, trying to calm him.

He nodded, laying his head back on my shoulder. I headed towards the front of The Store, seeing the young girl who worked in the building, Michiru, on the ground, holding her throat. Hisagi, one of the locals that returned from the Army, was kneeling next to her, holding her hand, shaking his head. She had been stung by one of those huge bugs. I sighed, pitying them, but moved on. I had to find Rukia.

As I walked away from the dying girl on the floor, I tightened my grip on Kiba slightly. I was about to move down an aisle and saw Hisana Kuchiki. She was standing there, her hands raised in a weak praise, as one of the large insects rested on her chest, it's stinger glistening threateningly. My eyes widened as she just stared at it, scared. When she saw me, she shook her head and said, "Please, Lord, I am Yours. Do with me as You wish," raising her hands higher in the air. The insect began to fly, floating in front of her startled, but relieved face, before flying away. Someone knocked it to the floor using a skillet seconds later, killing it.

I looked over at her, shocked. She returned the gaze, her expression softening. "The Lord Almighty has mercy on us. Please, don't forget that, boy," she said, tears now running down her face. I nodded, still in disbelief. "Go find your wife," she said knowingly. "She needs you."

My eyes snapped open, worried. I ran from the aisle and looked down in the crowds of people killing the insects. I finally spotted her, the breathe I had unknowingly held in now escaping my lips. I ran to her, grabbing her arm, and kneeling so I was eye level with her.

"Are you okay?!" I asked, unable to help the frown that formed over my features. She nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine. Where have you bee-?" she started, her eyes widening. "What happened to you?!" she asked, lifting my blood covered shirt, feeling for a wound. I hadn't noticed until then that the flying creature's blood had gotten all over me. Before I could explain, she took Kiba from me.

"Mommy!" he said, but she sat him down on the floor.

"Hold on, Baby, Daddy needs me for a second," she said, turning back to me and continuing her search for a wound.

"I'm okay," I said. "That's from those flying things."

She shook her head. "There's more," she said, making me turn around. She lifted my shirt again and I heard her gasp a little. "Ichigo, didn't you notice something scratch your back?" she asked, grabbing me by the arm, along with Kiba, and pulling us to the back of The Store.

"No," I said, looking back to notice that all the insect things had either been killed or left. People were now patching up the holes in the window as we continued towards the pharmaceutical section. Rukia made me sit on the floor, telling Kiba to stay in front of me to stay out of the way, and she pulled my blood stained T-shirt over my head. She used it to wipe the remaining blood from my back before pouring water from a water bottle Kiba had fetched for her over the wound. She used some anti-bacterial liquid to clean it better, making me cringe away from her.

She ignored and continued, eventually wrapping bandage around my torso and carefully helping me pull another new T-shirt on. "Good as new," she said with worry still in her voice, patting my head.

I grabbed her hand and smiled up at her. "Thanks, Rukia."

She squeezed my hand and returned the gesture. "No problem."

Then, I noticed Miyako approach us sheepishly. "Are you okay, Kurosaki? Do you need anything?" she asked, not seeming to notice Rukia's presence.

"I've already taken care of him, thanks," Rukia snapped, tightening her grip on my hand, her brows slightly pulling together.

I looked back up at Miyako and shook my head. "Thanks but I'm fine. And thanks for your help earlier," I said, noticing Rukia give me an unhappy look. Shiba nodded, giving Rukia a weird look, before smiling at me and leaving. Rukia pulled her hand away from mine suddenly, causing me to cock an eyebrow.

"What's wrong, Ruk?" I asked, already knowing.

"Nothing! And don't call me that," she retorted, grabbing Kiba's hand. "We'll be up front, helping clean the place. Stay here and rest," she said, still sounding angry before leaving me alone in the back of the store.

I sighed. _Great, just when things started to get better, she comes along._ I thought, leaning back on my hands, deciding to do what Rukia said, trying to please her as much as I could. _The worst part, they're the least of my worries..._

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Okay, so, there's chapter four! :D Hope you enjoyed, please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, hello! I'm sorry it's taken me so long update, but I've been working on my other story so...yeah. :D Sorry. But I'm updating now, so yeah!

I'm trying to write chapter five of this while I write chapter nine of _Far Away_, so I'm not sure how either of these will turn out, but I'll try it! :D

Oh, and I'm gonna go ahead and throw my OC from _Far Away_, Mina, in here too! :D She plays a very little role, so no worries to those of you who hate OC's. :)

So, here we go! :) :5

* * *

After the broken glass was cleaned up and the holes in the glass were covered, everyone congregated in the front of The Store, ready to do something. Everyone talked until Ikkaku got their attention, screaming for the people to shut up.

"What are we going to do?" a woman asked once everyone quieted down.

"We have to find out how far someone can go out without being killed," Ikkaku answered.

"We could tie some rope to someone's waist and pull them back if something happens," Kon said, shrugging.

The manager nodded in agreement. "That should work," he said, looking around. "Who's going to volunteer?" He asked, looking around at everyone.

I took a deep breathe and stepped forward, ignoring Rukia's grip on my arm. "I'll do it," I said, already feeling my hands start to shake at the thought of going out there.

"No, Ichigo!" Rukia hissed behind me.

I continued to ignore her, looking at Ikkaku who stared back at me in thought. He glanced over me to Rukia and Kiba then returned his gaze to me, shaking his head slightly. "No. You have too many people depending on you. Thanks, but the last thing your family needs is for you to die," he said, his stern glare not faltering.

"No one's going to die, they'll have a rope around them. Everyone will pull whoever goes out there back if anything happens, so I don't see why I shouldn't go," I said.

"There's no guarantee that the person's going to live," Ikkaku started. "You're not going." His voice rang with finality. He looked around again as I stepped back next to Rukia, who grabbed my hand tightly. "Who else is willing to go?"

It was silent a few moments before Renji stepped forward. "I'll go," he said, looking as calm as ever. Ikkaku looked at him, thinking about it, and nodded.

"If you're sure, then that will work," he said.

Renji nodded. "I'm sure," he said. His expression was so neutral and calm, he didn't look like a man who was about to risk his life in any way. He almost looked bored.

A woman who I noticed spending a lot of time talking to Renji while being stuck here took a step so she was next to him. Her name was Mina Aburamai, I remembered absently. She lightly grabbed his arm to get his attention and said, "Be careful, 'kay?" He nodded, but she still had a concerned look on her face.

Ikkaku grabbed a bundle of rope and handed it to Mina, telling her to tie the rope around his waist. She did so, getting help from Renji when it came to making a proper knot. Everyone watched as they prepared, the room silent other than the few quiet words Renji and Mina exchanged.

Then Hisana Kuchiki decided to share her thoughts. "If you go out there, you'll be facing the wrath of God, boy," she said to Renji, now getting his attention. "You don't stand a chance of returning if you go out while God's this angry, He'll take you as the next sacrifice," she said, causing Mina's brow to crease further. "Don't you believe in God, boy?" she asked when all he did was glare at her.

"Yeah, I believe in God," he said, continuing to glare at her. "I just don't think He's the ass hole you're making him out to be. Isn't He supposed to be The God of mercy and forgiveness? I don't see how He can be doing this if He's so merciful."

Hisana glared back at Renji. "Sometimes we need to be taught a lesson. This is a warning. If you go out there, He'll teach you the last lesson you ever learn."

Renji rolled his eyes, dismissing the conversation as he continued to soothe Mina.

"Ichigo," I heard Ikkaku say, getting my attention. "Here, spread this out," he said, handing me the rest of the bundled rope. "People who are going to pull the rope if necessary, line up along the rope. The rest of you, get out of the way," he ordered loudly, his voice cutting through the thick silence. The people did as he said, including myself. Everyone was ready, but Mina was still standing next to Renji, her hand on his arm as she whispered something to him, her face giving away just how worried she was.

Ikkaku stepped closer to them, his expression softening. "Come on, Aburamai," he said, grabbing her arm lightly. She nodded and looked back up at Renji one more time. He returned her gaze, but his was still neutral, trying to be strong. She surprised him by hugging him suddenly. He carefully returned the gesture, saying, "Don't worry, I'll be fine," trying to sooth her.

Mina pulled away and stepped out of the way, holding a hand to her mouth as she watched him leave. _I don't understand why he's going?_ I thought, feeling my brows form a scowl. _Just because he's not married doesn't mean he has no one depending on him, that was so stupid of Ikkaku! There's no difference between me and Renji, not really._ I pushed the thought aside. Renji was already outside, walking toward the mist. In mere seconds he had disappeared completely as we let the loose rope go forward. We did so in silence, waiting to hear him scream or make any noise that would let us know to pull him back.

From the corner of my eye I saw Kiba walk over to Mina, grabbing her hand knowingly. I assumed that Rukia was behind me somewhere, letting the loose end of the rope slip through her hands as I was. I turned my attention back to the rope ahead of me, continuing to wait.

Suddenly the rope stopped, staying still in our hands. Some people gasped, but others quickly shushed them. We got more loose rope as I assumed Renji was taking a few steps backwards. I pulled on the rope, bringing the extra length of it back. "He's coming back, pull the rope!" I shouted to the people behind me. We all started pulling and eventually, we had to use force to pull him closer. He seemed to be standing still, unwilling to move.

The rope quickly started going forward, now it was suspending in the air, causing people to scream. Mina screamed and cried loudly, hugging Kiba tightly. Rope started flying through the fists I had made around it, giving me rope burn, causing me to scream. Some one quickly handed me a rag and I used it to keep a good grip on the rope. The creature that now had Renji began dragging me and the others behind me toward the door, but right as it was about to pull me outside the grip let go and we all fell back, landing on the floor.

Everyone seemed disoriented, but I quickly stood and shouted for them to do the same, to pull him back. Nothing stopped us from pulling him this time, but as the rope quickly entered the building we saw that it was stained red, causing me to stop pulling momentarily as screams filled to room. I soon continued, stopping when I saw Renji's long legs being dragged across the parking lot. Just his legs.

Mina screamed loudly again, turning her head away, still holding onto Kiba. She covered his eyes, but continued to cry while doing so. Someone cut the rope and threw the short, red end outside, closing the door and locking it. I dropped the rope and rag, quickly stepped into another aisle, and puked. _I don't have the stomach for all this,_ I thought. Rukia joined me, patting me on the back and handing me a towel to wipe his blood off my hands.

I straightened up, slightly leaning on Rukia while doing so, and dropped the now blood stained towel on the floor. That's when I heard someone start to shout.

"Look what you've done!" the person screamed. I saw the stranger point a finger at Ikkaku accusingly as I stepped out of the aisle I had just vomited in. "Your little experiment got us no where! And now there's another one of us who're dead! Because you had to pull another stupid stunt like that! Why are we listening to you?! It's obvious that you don't think before you do something!"

"Please," Kon said, standing in front of the woman with a hand held up. "Calm down, okay? Please. The last thing we need to do is turn against each other," he said calmly.

"No! I will not calm down! This man has gotten another person _killed_! If he was a real man, he would have gone out there himself! He has no right to try to lead us!" the woman screamed, trying to push Kon out of the way to get to Ikkaku, but Kon held her back.

"I didn't make him go! He decided to go, it had nothing to do with me!" Ikkaku shouted defensively. "You better shut the hell up, I'm doing the best I can!"

"Well good job! You got another person killed!"

"STOP IT!" Kon screamed, causing everyone to fall silent and stare at him. "Knock it off!" he continued, shifting his glare from the woman to Ikkaku and back again. "There's no use in blaming anyone! It's done, there's no changing it now! What we need to do is stick together and figure out what's best for everyone. Now, both of you shut the fuck up and calm down," he finished, giving both his boss and the woman one more look before sitting down and resting his head between his knees. His face was flushed and he looked like he was going to puke also, but he managed to control himself.

Mina was wiping her eyes, her small hands shaking, when she took a step forward. "Wh-what....What are we supposed to do now?" she asked, absently playing with Kiba's hair as he continued to hug onto her waist, leaning his head against her stomach. Everyone looked at the manager, but when he shook his head, they directed their gazes to me.

I looked around, surprised. I turned my gaze to Rukia and she nodded, as if she agreed that I should make the decision. I looked back at the people and said, "Um...just...Everyone stay inside for the night. We'll...have something figured out in a little while," I answered. Although I thought the instructions were pretty vague, they were eased by them. They all nodded and dispersed into groups again. Kiba approached us then, still holding Mina's hand, and we sat in the front of the store with Kon and Ikkaku, working on any sort of plan that could help us get out of The Store and took us somewhere that was safe.

* * *

Okay, so yeah. My whole plan last night to type a new chapter for both this and Far Away was...stupid. Ha ha, I focused all on Far Away and didn't get done until like...two in the morning. So, yeah, sorry. But I'm updating now, so be happy! :D

Hope you all liked this chapter, but I hated it! D: Poor Ren-Ren died. :'( Sad.

Please review! :D


	6. Chapter 6

Hello all! :D I'm back again! Already, I know! Ha ha.

Although...I find myself distracted as I watch Bleach...Renji's fighting, so don't expect my absolute attention. :)

Oh, yeah, well, I'm sorry, but Mina will be in this more than I thought. I just liked writing her in here, so yeah...:D Sorrys!

Okay, so anyhoo, here we go, an attempt to write chapter six! :D :6

* * *

Rukia and I had decided to keep everyone calm for the night and not tell anyone what the plan was until the morning. With the help of Kon, Ikkaku, and Mina we decided to go the a near by pharmacy to see if anyone was there and alive. If...no one was there than we planned on bringing back anything back that would be useful. In the mean time, we didn't want to upset anyone with our plan, so we decided to keep it to ourselves and let everyone relax while they could.

We separated again, Mina joining us this time. Kiba seemed to have gotten attached to her in the last few hours. He curled up on her lap tiredly and fell asleep. She allowed it and messed with his hair as she slowly fell asleep also.

I sat next to Rukia, but she seemed to set our boundary again, allowing a small space to come between us. She folded her arms over her chest and looked angry, so I didn't bother asking about the space. But before I got the chance anyway, Miyako Shiba approached us, looking directly at me and ignoring Rukia's presence. Rukia quickly scooted closer to me, the space between us vanishing. She glared up at Miyako instantly.

But, again, Miyako didn't seem to notice Rukia as she sat down on my other side, closer to me than I liked. "How's your back? Do you feel any better?" she asked, placing a small hand on my back absently. Although she may not have even realized she was doing it, the gesture caused me to stiffen quite noticeably.

Rukia grabbed my arm and pulled me even closer, causing her hand to fall from my back. "He's fine, if he was in pain, he would have told me," she said, sticking her head around me to direct her glare at Miyako.

The woman gave Rukia a fake smile in return. "Oh, alright," she started, returning her attention to me. "Well, if you need anything, please, let me know. I'd love to help out with anything you decide to do for everyone."

"Thanks," I said, trying to get this woman away from me without hurting her feelings. "But I've got everything under control. I appreciate it," I answered, leaning closer to Rukia when I felt her small hand on my shoulder. Miyako nodded and stood, leaving swiftly with a smile still on her face. Rukia pulled her hand away and scooted away from me as soon as Shiba was out of our sight.

I sighed and looked over at her. "Rukia, what's wrong?"

She glared at me and crossed her arms over her chest. "I **don't** like that woman," she said.

I smiled and couldn't help the quiet laugh from escaping my lips. "Okay. But why are you mad at me?" I asked, causing her brow to crease even further.

"_Who_ said I was mad at you?" she demanded, pulling her arms closer to her small frame.

"No one, but-" I started before she cut me off.

"Exactly. Don't put words in my mouth, Ichigo!" she exclaimed angrily.

"That's not what I was trying to do, I'm sorry," I said, surprisingly calm. "You just seem pretty mad at me. You only got closer to me when she came around. When she left, you pulled away. What's wrong?"

She looked away, still glaring, but looking guilty. "Nothing...It's just...," she started, shaking her head.

I grabbed her hand. "What?"

She sighed and lightly squeezed my hand. "We haven't gotten along lately, you know that. Everyone pretty much knows that, except Kiba." She stopped momentarily, running a hand through her hair. "I just...thought you might _like_ her being around. She's more concerned about you than I am. Or, more than I act like I am," she continued, not looking up at me.

I shook my head, still smiling. "Of course I don't like her sticking around," I answered, grabbing Rukia's small frame and pulling her into my lap. "I don't have any feelings for her or anything, if that's what you're worried about. She just...helped me out a little when those insect things came in, but that's all. Okay?" I asked, pulling her closer.

She still looked mad as she grunted, her arms still pulled over her chest. "No. _She_ has feelings for you, that's obvious."

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter," I said.

"What if she tries anything on you?" she asked, looking up at me.

I cocked an amused eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"What if she hits on you or something? You know, _tries_ _something_," she said, allowing her glare to subside as she rose her eyebrows.

I laughed at her expression, getting an elbow to the gut. "I'll just...have to tell her I'm happily married," I said, smiling down at her. Her eyes widened as she continued to look up at me.

"Bu-...You...I mean...," she started, looking surprised, which I expected, honestly. Slowly, a smile made its way onto her face and she nodded. "Good answer," she finally said.

I felt my smile widen and nodded also. "So, we okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, we're okay," she answered, her smile widening. I pulled her closer and kissed her, which surprised her also, but she allowed it. It had been a long time since I had kissed her, actually kissed her because I wanted to, not because Kiba was watching and we had to act like nothing was wrong.

As we broke apart I felt Rukia relax in my grip. I rested my head against her shoulder and closed my eyes, ready to go to sleep. Rukia also closed her eyes and acted like she was going to sleep, but she soon sat up and got my attention again. "What is it?" I asked, not loosening my grip on her.

"I want something to drink," she said, still squirming in my arms.

I sat up, letting her go. "I'll get it. What do you want?"

She crawled off my lap and sat silently for a few seconds, thinking. "Hm...I guess I'll have some water. Flavored."

"Strawberry?" I asked as she nodded. "Alright, I'll be right back then." With that I was heading toward the refrigerated section of The Store.

* * *

When I got to the fridged area of the building I saw Miyako standing in front of one of the doors, her hand to her mouth in thought. I sighed under my breathe. She noticed me and smiled. I nodded back at her, hoping that was all she wanted from me. I turned my attention to the doors in search for the water. I peered into the one Miyako was standing in front of and saw the bottled with clear water in them and little pictures of fruit on the wrappers.

I cleared my throat quietly, getting her attention. "Excuse me," I said, pointing at the door. But instead of moving, she turned her back to the door and stepped closer to it, blocking it off with her body. Her smile widened as she looked up at me.

"Can I help you?" she asked, seeming to be teasing me. I sighed again, louder this time.

"Could you move please?" I asked, obviously losing my patience. After shrugging her shoulders, she stepped aside, allowing me to step closer to the door and open it, grabbing a bottle of strawberry water. I closed the door and turned around, only to find her in front of me, way too close.

"I know your wife said your back was okay, but is it? Does if feel better?" she asked, leaning even closer to me.

I was about to scream at her, which I really should have done, but instead I just said, "It's fine, thanks."

"Good," she said, pushing me back against the glass door roughly, her hands pressed against my chest. Her smile widened as my eyes did the same. Before I could say a single word of protest she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to mine, causing my eyes to widen even further.

I didn't even allow my brain to register what was going on before I shoved her away angrily, shouting, "What the hell's wrong with you?!" angrily. "What part of wife don't you understand!?" I asked, not bothering to listen to her answer. To my surprise Rukia had been standing behind us and had witnessed what she had done. _Crap._

Rukia was glaring deeply, but before I could explain she was running at Miyako angrily. She practically tackled her, immediately throwing punches. Miyako held her arms in front of her face, not trying to fight back but only trying to defend herself. I quickly grabbed Rukia's small, but strong, arms and pulled her off of Shiba.

"You stupid _bitch!_"Rukia screamed. "What's wrong with you!?"

"Sh, Rukia, calm down," I said as I continued to hold her thrashing form back.

"Just because your husband's dead doesn't mean you can touch mine!" Rukia shouted.

I tightened my grip on her arms. "Rukia! Shut up!" I said, knowing she'd feel bad about saying what she had under normal circumstances.

She calmed down noticeably, but continued glaring down at Miyako as she whimpered on the floor, people starting to crowd around. "I'm sorry," she said calmly. "I'm sorry I said that, it was uncalled for. But," she began, her voice lower than before; threatening. "If you _ever_ touch Ichigo again. I will kick your ass. And I won't let Ichigo hold me back next time. Do you hear me?" she asked, her voice thick with rage.

The beaten woman nodded, tears running down her face. "Y-yes, I understand...," she said quietly, avoiding eye contact with Rukia or myself. I sighed quietly, letting go of Rukia's arms as she seemed calm again.

Rukia grabbed my hand tightly and pulled me with her as we started back to our aisle. She pushed through the crowd angrily, still dragging me with her. Suddenly she pulled me into the aisle before ours and tightened her grip on my hand.

"Rukia, look, I didn't-" I started, but she cut me off. She grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me down closer to her, smashing her lips against mine. I was shocked, but of course I allowed it. When she pulled away I stared at her with wide eyes. "Why..did you-?"

She held up a protesting hand. "Just...I did it because I wanted to, okay? Now," she started, grabbing my hand again. "Let's go get some sleep, okay?"

I nodded and let her drag me to our aisle, now noticing just how tired I was. When we reached our spot Rukia waited for me to sit down before taking her place in my lap, hugging onto me. I wrapped my arms around her small frame and laid my head on her shoulder, letting my eyes fall closed. Before I knew it, I was in a deep sleep.

* * *

Okay, so, I know not a lot of Misty goodness happened, but oh well. This is an IchiRuki fic, so I thought I'd dedicate a chapter to them.

Regardless of whether this was like The Mist or not, I hope you all enjoyed! :D Please, review! :)


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, so, I'm back! :D Sorry to you who I told I'd write this yesterday...I sort of lost the motivation to do so, ha ha. And sorry to everyone who's been waiting for my updates. School started again, and the weeks after Spring Break are always hard, so I haven't had the time. I apologize.

And, also, I started reading the book, so things might start to like that. I'll try really hard to stick to the movie, because it would be pretty pointless to switch now. :)

Okay, so I'll stop rambling. Here's chapter seven!

I woke up early, looking at my watch to find that it was only four-thirty in the morning. Everyone was asleep still, including Rukia, who was still in my lap, hugging onto my waist. Being the first to wake, I thought it was only reasonable to check out what the mist looked like now. I stood carefully, shifting Rukia in my lap so she slid to the floor, leaving my jacket under her head.

I navigated my way around all the sleeping forms of the others who had settled down on the floor. I reached the front of the building, standing in front of the glass windows, keeping my distance. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I peered out at the mist. It seemed to have gotten even thicker, if that was possible. Just looking out at the fog made me sick, bringing back images of Uryuu's screaming face and Renji's detached legs dragging along the parking lot. The color red stained all these memories in a way that made my vision blurry and my stomach churn. I had to look away to regain my composure.

As I turned my back to the door, holding my stomach and a misplaced shopping cart for support, the thought that I'd be going out there in a few hours made me almost hysterical. I felt a weak grin start to cross my features as quiet laughter bubbled in my throat. _I'm going to be out there...with all of those _things. I held my head, trying to stop my hands from shaking as much as possible.

"Daddy?" I heard a small, tired voice say. I looked down and saw Kiba standing in front of me, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His spiky, orange hair stood up in it's usual mess. "Are you okay?"

I forced a real smile to cover the fake one. The one filled with fear. "Yeah, I'm okay," I said, noticing that he didn't believe me. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all," I continued.

His head cocked to the side at my statement. "Nervous about what?"

"Well," I started, kneeling down in front of him. "Me a few other guys are going to go the pharmacy today. To see if anyone's there."

Kiba's eyes widened as he began shaking his head. "No, Daddy, you can't go out there!" He started, his voice escalating. "There are monsters out there, you can't go!"

"Shh, Kiba. Be quiet, okay?" I said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, it's right next door. I'll only be gone for a few minutes, I promise, I'll be back as soon as I can."

He continued to shake his head as tears ran down his face. "They'll get you, Daddy," he said quietly.

"No, they won't, I promise," I responded.

"How do you know? How can you be so sure?"

I sighed, blowing some of the hair resting on my forehead out of my eyes for a second before they returned. "I can't be sure. I really _don't_ know what will happen. But it's important that we go. I need you to be good and take care of Mommy while I'm gone, okay?"

He slightly cocked his eyebrow while he continued to cry. I know Kiba got most of my features, but he looked just like Rukia when he made that face, I couldn't help but smile. "Why isn't Mommy going with you?"

"She thinks she is...but I can't let her go. You need her. And I need both of you to be as safe as possible. That means she has to stay here. So, when you hear us argue about that, make sure to take my side, okay?" I said, absently ruffling up his hair as he laughed quietly.

He nodded before saying, "Okay." He got serious again all of a sudden, worrying me. "Be careful, Dad. Me and Mom need you too," he said, tears rimming his eyelids again.

I was surprised by what he said and found myself only able to nod a response. I pulled him closer, hugging him lightly. As I did this I heard him yawn and took him back to the aisle. I got another blanket and made a small bed on the floor, covering Kiba up after he laid down. He demanded I stay with him until he fell back asleep, which only took a few minutes. I absently pat his back before laying down next him on the cold, hard floor and laid my head in my arms. Before I fell back asleep myself I felt Kiba hug onto me in his sleep. I carefully did the same before I was out.

The next time I woke it was because of Rukia. She was leaning over me, shaking me, and whispering fiercely for me to wake up. I slowly opened my eyes, realizing that I was on the floor with a sleeping Kiba laying on me. Carefully, I sat up, sitting Kiba back into his blanket bed I had made, covering him back up as he shifted. I yawned and sat up straighter, my back cracking in the process.

"Morning, Ichigo," Rukia said, smiling down at me.

I returned the gesture and nodded. "Good morning."

"So, are you ready to tell everyone?" she asked, her smile fading as she became serious.

I nodded. "I'm just not ready to go out there," I said.

"I know, it's gonna be freaky out there," she said, not seeming to actually be scared at all.

"Well, that's what I want to talk to you about," I started. "Rukia, I really...really don't think you should go." I felt my brows crease at the thought of us fighting in front of everyone.

Her eyebrows rose, but she must have noticed how serious about it, because she said, "Okay," while nodding.

"Really?"

She nodded again. "Yeah. I mean, you're right. I'd distract you, you'd be too worried about me to do any good. Besides, Kiba needs one of us to watch him. I know he likes Mina and all, but he really needs a parent at a time like this," she answered.

I smiled and nodded also. "Thanks."

Her large, violet eyes rolled as she smiled again. "Yeah, yeah. But you better be careful. Come back in one piece, even if that means someone else doesn't," she said.

"Rukia! That's horrible," I answered.

She shrugged, acting serious again. "I can't help it. We need you, Ichigo," she stated, reminding me of Kiba's mature words from earlier. "I _love_ you, Ichigo, I don't want anything to happen to you."

A small smile returned to my face. "I love you, too," I answered. With that, Rukia and I walked in the front of the store, getting the irritable people's attention.

"Listen, everyone," I said loudly, trying to keep my voice low enough that I didn't wake any of the kids that were still asleep. "I've made a decision."

Every eye was on me, staring as I said what I had to say. They couldn't believe that I wanted to leave. Some people protested, others just shook their head, wishing they hadn't elected me as their new leader, I assumed.

"Don't worry, we've planned out the best way to get in and what we're looking for if no one's there. We know what we're doing, this isn't on impulse like the others," I said, surprised at how level I was able to keep my voice. I was never one to speak in front of crowds, but this was under different circumstances.

"Take all the precautions you want, Mr. Kurosaki," Hisana Kuchiki started, grinning at me smugly. "But no matter what, you can't escape God's wrath. Won't you learn from your stupid, naive friend? I warned him, but he wouldn't listen. Did he?" she asked, but I soon realized she wasn't asking me. She was asking Mina.

Mina was frowning back at her, tears forming on the rim of her eyes again. Her jaw tightened noticeably as she wrapped her arms around her thin frame protectively.

"Stop it!" I demanded, glaring at Kuchiki. "We're going out. And we'll be fine. The pharmacy is right next door-"

"The other boy only went into the parking lot! How do you plan to-" I cut Hisana off before she could finish.

"We'll get some medicine and anything that looks helpful that we can find. If no one's there, we'll get out as soon as we can. We're leaving pretty soon, so please, help us out if we ask you to," I finished, stepping away from the center of the crowd, preparing the equipment we needed and preparing myself. I hugged and kissed both Rukia and Kiba and got a friendly hug from Mina, who was still trying to regain her composure. I tried to convince myself that Rukia wouldn't have to mourn like that, not at all.

I gathered the group who was coming and stood in front of the door, telling everyone to wait for us patiently. I turned to the door and took a deep breathe. _This is it...We're going...into the mist._

Okay, so that's it! :D

Sorry if you found it boring and sorry it took awhile to update. I'm a very busy and tired person. But soon school will be over and I will be free to write everyday if I please! :D:D:D

Okay, see you next chapter!

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, I'm finally back with more of The Mist! ;D I really missed writing for this story, it's been hard not updating! I don't know if any of you people who read this fic read my _Far Away_ story too, but if you do, I won't be updating for a while. Sorry. :/

Anyway, here's chapter eight of The Mist! :) Hope you enjoy!

_-:-_

I opened the door slowly, my hands tightening into fists as I scoped the area. I could hear my heart beat loudly as it rose in my throat, acting as if it was trying to escape. My teeth were clenched together as I took a few steps outside.

"Okay, let's go!" I said, looking behind my shoulder as I started running to see if the others were following me. They were.

We made it to the pharmacy's door without trouble and quickly went inside. I told one of the volunteers I didn't know to guard the door while we looked around. At the first glance it was easy to see that there wasn't going to be any people here. Not alive, anyway. The room was covered in cobwebs and all the items from the shelves were thrown all over the floor. The place was trashed.

The small building was full of signs that told us there had been people here when the place had gotten attacked. They were overwhelming. Looking at the purses the women had dropped the items from inside in a heap. Or the shoes the victims had run right out of. The worst was the dried blood, though. That made my stomach churn.

As I continued to walk carefully around the items on the floor, the other men started coming in, looking around on their own. Small beams of light scattered across the walls and aisles as we got further and further away from each other. My own beam of light moved around frantically as the hand holding my flashlight shook uncontrollably.

I turned a corner and stopped dead in my tracks. What I saw made my heart clench in my chest: a baby stroller. I slowly started to walk again, heading toward it. It was knocked over on its side and a wheel had fallen off. My unoccupied hand shook also as it reached down and pulled the blanket over the opening of the stroller off. Eyes widening in disbelief, I stared at the remains of a child, still strapped into the seat. It was a little girl, around three probably. Why she was in the stroller, I don't know. She had curly, dark hair and a yellow dress on. The dress was stained with blood and her arms were covered with boils, I assumed from one of the monsters from the mist.

I dropped the blanket back over the stroller and took a step back, covering my mouth with a trembling hand. Tears formed on my eyelids but were quickly blinked away. I thought I was going to throw up, but knew there wasn't much that I _could_ throw up. Kon walked up behind me then, placing a hand on my shoulder when I didn't respond to him.

"Hey, Ichigo, are you alright?" he asked, looking concerned.

I nodded, pointing to the stroller in front of me. He looked and nodded, knowing without looking that she was in there. "Come help us gather the medicine, will ya?" he said, trying to distract me from what he knew I had just seen. I nodded again and followed him to the front of the building, watching my feet.

When we got to the checkout counter we saw Ikkaku stuffing a bag he had found full of aspirin and other medicine that was around. I grabbed another bag and started to fill it with other types of pharmaceuticals. We worked quickly and quietly, not letting anything distract us from what we came here for.

Kon was standing there, watching our backs. I glanced over at him and said, "Hey, why don't you try the phones?" I was referring to the payphones they had in the back of the building.

He nodded and headed to the back without hesitating. Kon seemed to be gaining some mental strength, which surprised me. In a situation like this, most people would lose their minds. I even felt like I was having more troubles than usual and I expected it. But Kon was becoming more and more willing to do things he normally wouldn't do. I was glad to have him on my side.

A few minutes after he had left, Ikkaku and I had heard Kon scream as he started to sprint toward the front of the building. He got the other guys' attention too. Without even waiting for an explanation, the two men who had accompanied us ran out the door, heading toward The Store. I didn't see if they made it or not, I was waiting for Kon.

He approached us saying, "We have to leave, they're here! We have to go!"

"Wait, calm down. _Who's_ here?" Ikkaku asked, sounding agitated.

"The creatures!" he continued, pointing down the dark aisle he had just run from. As we turned our heads toward the opening of the aisle, large spider-looking creatures walked out toward us. Only they weren't average spider sized. They were huge, their bodies a little larger than a football. They had twelve legs that protruded from their massive midsections. Starting to walk closer to us, the spider-like monsters started hissing like house cats.

Kon had advised us to run, but I grabbed a mop that had been laying on the floor and started beating one of them with the wooden end. Kon yelled, telling me to stop, but I ignored him, figuring I could kill the two or three creatures that were here. And for some reason, if felt personal. I was angrily killing these things for the little girl I had found, knowing they were the things that had killed _her_.

"Ichigo, stop, we have to get out of here!" he said when I had finished. I dropped the mop and wiped some sweat from my forehead, breathing deeply. I hadn't shown the things any mercy and now I was worn out.

Kon suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the door. I expected him to continue pulling me until we were outside, but he only jerked me out of my previous spot. I looked at him and started to ask him the obvious question of why he had done that, but he cut me off by answering. "Their silk is poisonous! It burns your flesh off! You have to watch out!" he shouted, pointing at the spider silk that had barely missed me.

I nodded; thankful he had been more observant than I was. We headed back toward the door but soon turned around, both realizing that Ikkaku wasn't following us.

"Ikkaku, come on, we have to leave!" I shouted, but he just stood still, staring ahead of himself. His eyes were wide with fright. Kon and I turned our gazes in the direction of his, seeing what he was afraid of. There were two or three dozen of the spiders standing in front of him. He tried to shift his weight, getting ready to run for it, but the monsters hissed in disapproval.

"W-what do I do?" he asked, his voice sounding terrified. It was the only time I had ever seen him that way.

"Don't move," Kon said. "We're going to open the door. When you see it's open and we're out of the way, run for it. Got it?"

Ikkaku nodded, still watching the spiders', scoping out movement. Kon grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the door again. He opened the door and walked out, still pulling me with him. "Keep an eye out for anything," he ordered me quickly, turning back to the door. I think he had me do it just so I wouldn't have to watch the inevitable. For that, I thanked him.

"Run, Ikkaku!" Kon shouted. I didn't hear any movement and assumed he was too afraid to take a single step, let alone run. _"Hurry up!"_ He continued, still waiting on his boss.

That's when I heard the shuffling of feet. They didn't go far, I knew that for sure. After a second of the sound of Ikkaku's steps filled the air, the sound of the hissing spiders covered it up. Along with the sound of steam, which I somehow knew was the spider silk shooting at Ikkaku. Kon knew all along that there wasn't hope for him, he just didn't want me or his employer to give up hope. Kon quickly slammed the door shut and grabbed my arm, sprinting toward The Store. I started to run beside him and could hear Ikkaku's screams all the way to our destination.

_-:-_

Kon shoved the door open as we both ran in. The run from the pharmacy to The Store was unbearable. My legs and my lungs were aching and all I could do was hear Ikkaku scream. I pushed through the crowd, finding an open spot on the floor where I fell to my hands and knees, breathing heavily. I was covered in sweat and all I wanted to do was sleep.

Rukia pushed her way through the crowd and approached me, holding Kiba. She knelt down next to me, a frown on her face, placing a hand on my back. "Ichigo, are you okay? What happened?" she asked. Her hand quickly moved to my head, pushing soaked spikes out of my face.

I shook my head, still trying to catch my breath. "I'm okay…I'm fine," I managed to get out. She sat Kiba down and continued to push my stubborn hair off my brow.

"What happened, boy?" I heard an angry voice say. I looked up to see Hisana Kuchiki standing over me with her hands on her hips and a glare on her face. To my surprise, there were people behind her, also glaring at me like they agreed.

"There were different creatures than we've seen," Kon answered for me.

"Oh? Like what, exactly?" she continued, directing her glare at him.

"I'm not sure. They were like spiders, only a lot bigger. Their silk was poisonous," he finished, not at all bothered by her accusing tone.

People gasped at his words, looking around at each other. I heard Rukia gasp quietly as she grabbed my hand tightly. I lightly squeezed her hand as the sight of the little girl entered my mind again, accompanied by the sound of Madarame's screams.

"Well, where are the others? Wasn't there three other men who went with you?" Kuchiki asked, still sounding angry.

"Ikkaku was attacked by the spiders. We couldn't save him. Didn't the other two make it here?" Kon asked, surprised.

"No."

"Hm…well, they ran off after I found the spiders. They were running this way, but…I guess something got them…," he finished, sounding guilty.

"See?" Hisana shouted, turning her attention to the crowd who had been listening intently. "See what these foolish men have done? They've gotten more of our men killed by their impulsive actions! There was no need for anyone to leave the building again! But you all put your trust in this coward!" she continued, pointing at me.

All I could do was frown, feeling too guilty to respond. I agreed what I did was a mistake.

"He's **not** a coward!" Rukia retorted loudly, glaring up at the woman. "He did what he thought was best for everyone! **He** had the guts to go out there, for us! Would you have done that? No! So shut the fuck up!"

Hisana's glare deepened as she attempted to stare my wife down. "I'm no fool, I wouldn't leave the safety of the building. No matter what. Your husband is too ignorant to be leading us."

Rukia's grip on my hand tightened as her other hand curled into a fist. A low growl emitted from her throat. "Sh, Rukia. It's alright," I said, trying to calm her.

"Listen," I said to Kuchiki. "I'm doing the best I can and that's more than you can say you're doing." That earned a growl from Hisana. "All you're trying to do is tear us apart, to turn others against us."

"Really, Boy?" she said, sounding calm but still looking furious. "That's what you think I want? Well, you're wrong. I want to lead people to Jesus Christ. I want people to listen to me so when they die from those monsters, they don't burn in hell!"

Her statement caused Kiba to hug onto my arm tightly and whine. "Stop," I said.

"No! I won't take this! _I_ only want what's best for you people! Even for you, Mr. Kurosaki. And your wife, and especially your poor little son," she said, her voice softening at the mention of Kiba. She laid her hand on his head, looking down at him with a sad expression on her face.

Kiba surprisingly didn't cringe away like I expected him to. He grabbed Ms. Kuchiki's hand and smiled up at her weakly. "We're not going to die from those things. We'll find a way out, don't worry," he said, causing her to smile sadly back at him.

"A child's faith is beautiful," she said to herself, messing with his hair. She returned her gaze to me and her expression hardened slightly. "I'll let this go for now," she said and walked away, her head held high.

I sighed. "Thanks…," I said absently, running a hand through my hair.

"You okay, Ichigo?" Rukia asked me, her frown back on her face.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm fine. How about you? Are _you_ alright?" I asked.

She nodded, looking down at Kiba absently. "I was just worried about you, that's all."

I sat up and hugged onto her waist, pulling her closer. "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes and laid her hands on my shoulders. "Don't apologize, Ichigo. You had to go, it's not your fault I was worried. I'm just glad you made it back," she said.

"Well that's thanks to Kon," I said, looking up at him. "Thanks, by the way."

Rukia nodded and smiled over at him. "Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

Kon nodded, returning the gesture. "It was no problem."

After Hisana Kuchiki's followers calmed down and scattered, Rukia helped me into the aisle we had long ago claimed. She got me something to eat, though I only picked at it, my appetite completely gone. After she threw the remains of the food away she set up a bed of blankets on the floor and told me to relax. I did so willingly, allowing Kiba to lay on me as I rested on my back. Minutes later, I was asleep.

_-:-_

Okay, so here it is! :D Are you guys as excited that I'm back as me? Ha ha, probably not! ;P

Well, I hope you all like this chapter. It was a little fast, but I think it was okay. Please review! :D Please!


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, so I'm back. Today has not been the best day for me, so I'm gonna try and write out the negative-ness. :) So, bear with me.

_-:-_

I woke from my nap about an hour after I crashed. The sound of Rukia's screaming was what woke me. "You can't do this! Let him go!" she was shouting, sounding on the verge of tears. I sat up quickly, placing Kiba on the make-shift bed carefully. I exited the aisle and crossed to another where Rukia was standing in four steps.

"What's going on?" I asked, absently leaning on her for support, still drowsy from just waking.

"Kuchiki! She's trying to throw that boy out as a sacrifice!" she responded, her brow creased.

I stepped past her and quickly shoved the mob out of my way, getting to the center. One of the older men I recognized as Byakuya something was holding one of the young guys from the military by the arms, holding him still as he struggled to be free.

"Let him go!" I screamed, my glare shifting from Byakuya to Hisana.

"No!" Hisana retorted, everyone quieting their voices at our outbursts. "It was _their_ fault this has happened! **Him!**"

"No, no it wasn't!" The boy started, shaking his head. His name tag read H. Shuhei, and I remembered from a short conversation we had earlier that his first name was Hisagi. His eyes were wide with fright, he looked like he was about to cry. I didn't blame him

"Shut up!" Hisana screamed, slapping him across the face.

"Stop it! Let him go!"

"Don't you see, Kurosaki? It was his fault! The military was messing around up in the mountains, they caused these...these _things_ to appear!" she said, a crazed grin on her face.

I felt one of my eyebrows raise in confusion. "Tell him, boy!" Hisana ordered, glaring down at Hisagi.

"Th-the...scientist guys...," he started, looking guilty. "The chemists...they were trying to...open a door? Yeah, open a door to another dimension or something...the last thing I heard was that they had opened it...They had done it. And that's when the mist started...That's why they sent us here, to stop them!" he said, taking his gaze off of me and to Hisana, his eyes pleading for mercy.

"You were sent here to stop the creatures?" she asked, her voice sounding innocent.

He nodded frantically.

"Alright then," she said, her voice calm as a smile crossed her features. I assumed it was supposed to be pleasant, but it was horrible. "Take him out!" she shouted suddenly, her smile turning into another evil grin. She pointed at the door as Byakuya started dragging Hisagi towards it. Hisana grabbed a knife and marched next to them.

"No!" I screamed, running after her. Before I could take more than three paces someone grabbed me and restrained me. "**NO!** Let me go! Stop this! It's _insane_!" I continued, my voice cracking slightly.

Hisagi cried, shaking his head. "Please don't!" he tried to yell, but it was muffled by his sobs. He continued to fight back but Byakuya overpowered him, stopping right in front of the door. Hisana stood in front of Hisagi's thrashing form, holding the knife in her hand tauntingly.

"I'm only letting you do your job. If we give you to the beast as a sacrifice, they'll leave us alone for another night," she said, grinning at him.

"That's not what I mea-" Shuhei started to say, but he stopped mid-sentence to flinch away from the knife hovering over him.

"Stop it!" I heard Rukia shout, now next to Hisana. Rukia tried to grab the knife from Kuchiki, but she thrust it at her, impaling my wife in the abdomen.

"**Rukia!**" I screamed, pulling away from the man holding me back completely. I pushed through the people, reaching the front and finding Rukia on her knees, holding the side of her stomach, her eyes wide. Kuchiki had already pulled the knife out of her.

I knelt down in front of her, but she didn't act like she noticed me. My hands hovered over her shoulders, too afraid to touch her. By this time the whole group had quieted down. My brow creased deeply, unable to believe what was happening. I finally laid my hands on her, holding her face in between them.

She shook her head, placing her free hand on mine. "I'm fine," she said, sounding surprisingly strong. She had a small smile on her face. "It didn't go that deep, I'm okay, really." She gestured toward Hisana and Hisagi. "Help him, Ichigo."

I nodded, not wanting to leave her, but I stood and faced Hisana anyway. "Let him go," I said sternly.

Kuchiki gave me a smug grin, turned to Hisagi quickly, and shoved the knife into his stomach spitefully. I was about to grab the weapon from her, but another man held me back. She pulled the knife from him and stabbed him under the neck, impaling his collar bone. I shouted for them to stop again, but Shuhei's screams covered my own. With the nod of Kuchiki's head, Byakuya opened the door and shoved Hisagi out.

"LET HIM IN!" Shouting, I continued to fight against the person holding me back, kicking like a child. But no one let him in.

Everyone watched as Hisagi beat his fists against the door, still screaming and crying. A cry from one of the creatures filled the air, silencing the injured man. He turned around slowly, facing the parking lot. His hands were clinging to the edges of the door, supporting his weak body. He shook his head but could only watch as a tentacle snatched him up and pulled him into the mist.

Still unable to break free, I dropped my head and closed my eyes. I couldn't help the tears that slid down my face as whoever was holding onto me let me go.

My despair turned to anger quickly, my eyebrows knitted together. I turned on Hisana angrily. "What the hell is your problem, you bitch!" I screamed, my hands tightening into fists.

She smiled back at me. "You might want to watch your tone. Or else your wife might just be next," she finished, her grin growing.

"You'll keep your _**fucking**_ hands off of my family!" I retorted, my rage boiling inside of me.

"It's a little too late, don't you think?" she asked, gesturing down at Rukia.

My fists tightened and I willed myself not to hit a woman. A low growl escaped my throat before I turned back to Rukia, who was still holding her side. I knelt down next to her, carefully pulling her hands away from her wound. I inspected the laceration and noticed that it wasn't too deep. Thankfully, it looked like it would heal easily. I carefully ripped a segment of Rukia's long skirt off and held it against her wound before she did it herself.

Picking Rukia up bridal style, I turned back to Hisana, my glare even deeper. She continued to grin back at me, her arms crossed over her chest.

I pulled Rukia closer and pushed my way through the crowd, returning to our aisle.

_-:-_

An hour later Rukia was bandaged up and comfortable. She was laying on the make-shift bed she had set up for me hours before, sprawled out on her back. Her head was resting in my lap as she was about to fall asleep. Kiba was laying next to her, trying to fall back asleep after he had woken from the noise. He had his head resting on my leg and was curled up next to Rukia carefully. I absently ran a hand through Rukia's hair, waiting for her to rest.

Her eyes kept closing and sliding open again. I smiled down at her, pushing the stubborn strand of hair out of the middle of her face. "Go to sleep, Rukia," I said.

She smiled at me tiredly. "I will, shut up...," she answered.

"What's stopping you?" I asked absently.

"Nothing...I'm just...worried," she said honestly.

I cocked an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Everything," she started, placing a hand on Kiba's head, playing with his hair. He had already fallen asleep. "I want to get out of here...I want things to get back to normal." Her voice was filled with misery.

I nodded. "They will be," I answered. "Tomorrow."

Her eyebrows rose slightly at my words. "What?"

"Tomorrow...we're getting out of here. It'll be better than just staying and getting thrown out like that guy," I said. "I'm sure there are others who will be willing to leave with us, we'll have plenty of help. We have to get out of here," I finished, glad to see that she seemed to approve.

"Hm...,you're right," she said. "I want to get out of here as soon as I can. I think it's a good idea, if you do."

I nodded.

"So...you're positive you think we should do this?" she asked.

"Rukia, if you don't think we should go, then we won't."

"I think we should do what you think we should do. I trust you, Ichigo. Whatever you decide to do, I'll be right beside you," she answered, a serious look on her face.

I smiled down at her. "Since when do _I_ make all the decisions?" I asked, surprised that her usual feminist attitude was absent.

She smiled back and rolled her eyes. "You don't. But I think you should make this one," she answered. "So?"

"So...we should go."

Nodding, she pulled her hand away from Kiba and grabbed my hand. "Then we'll go."

My smile widened and I nodded back at her. "We'll go."

_-:-_

Okay, so, that's it! :D I'm sorry if the ending it kind of weird. But yeah. Sadly, this story is going to be shorter than I though. The next chapter isn't the last one, but it won't be too long. :(

Anyway, please review! ;P


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, so I'm back. Don't know it I'm actually going to finish a chapter tonight, but definitely this weekend. I just finished a oneshot, so..I'm tired, ha ha. :)

So, here we go. Chapter 10. (Epic! :D)

_-:-_

Rukia and I spent the rest of the day relaxing. I talked to Kon about our plan and he eagerly agreed. Unahana-san agreed also, hearing our whispers and wanting "in on it". A few others decided to come along when we asked them. They were strangers to me, but Kon assured me that they were trustworthy.

The group stayed together the night before we planned to leave, camped out on the floor of "The Kurosaki Aisle". We all slept soundly.

The morning after Kuchiki had made her human sacrifice I woke at five thirty in the morning. I shook everyone awake, shushing them when they groaned or yawned loudly. We expected Hisana to restrain from letting us leave, but if we left before she woke up, then we wouldn't have a problem. That was the initial plan.

After everyone was standing and conscious, I handed the bags of groceries we had packed the night before to people with open hands. Kon was holding a gun, Rukia was holding Kiba, and I was supposed to keep my hands free so I could start the car and get out of there as soon as everyone was ready.

We headed toward the entrance on our toes, being as quiet as possible. I was leading the group and once I turned the corner to approach the door, I stopped, the others stopping also. There she was, Hisana Kuchiki, sitting in a folding chair with a knife in her hand and a grin on her face.

"Going somewhere?" she asked, her voice sounding self-righteous.

"Maybe," I started, trying to stay calm. It was difficult. "Not that it concerns you."

"Oh, but it does," she answered, sitting up in her chair. "You aren't going anywhere. Not yet, anyway."

I cocked an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You just...have something we want," she said. As if on cue, over two dozen people started walking up behind Kuchiki. They all looked angry and nodded to Hisana's statement.

Instinctively I took a step closer to Rukia and Kiba, although I honestly had no idea what she was talking about. "Which is?"

"That beautiful little boy of yours," she answered, causing my eyes to widen. "He's such a pure spirit, a wonderful child. We need someone like that to sacrifice." Her words shocked me speechless. I stepped even closer to my family, wanting-no, _needing_ to protect as much as possible. "And you know," she continued. "you couldn't stop me before. So don't think you can stop me this time. So, hand up your precious son and you can all be on your way." Her grin grew evilly.

"You stupid **bitch**! There's no way in _hell_ I'll let you put one fucking finger on my son!" I shouted, anger builing inside of me.

Rukia pulled a frightened Kiba closer, her voice bellowing after mine, "Get out of the way! We're going and you're _not touching him!_"

Kuchiki snapped her fingers and a few men stepped closer to us, their hands held out, ready to snatch Kiba from us. I grabbed the closest thing I could and held it in front of them threateningly, my glare deepening. It turned out to be a broom, but I barely noticed. _"Stay the hell away from us!"_ I shouted, feeling my teeth bare as they stepped closer. I felt like an animal, screaming and fighting like this, but I didn't care. My son's life was at stack, that's all that mattered.

Suddenly the butcher came forward, still clad in his white apron. He was holding a meat cleaver up as a weapon, light bouncing off the clean blade. I knew my broom wouldn't stand a chance up against the cleaver, but I still didn't care. I was ready to throw myself in front of it to keep Kiba safe. Before the butcher or I had the chance to move any further I heard a gunshot. I turned around swiftly, seeing Kon approaching the front of the crowd, gun in hand.

"Get out of the way," he said calmly. All the people backed up, retreating from helping Hisana.

"No!" she shouted angrily. "No! Get the boy! Get him, we _need_ him! Seize the boy from the whore!" Her last remark made my blood boil.

Before she could say anything else the sound of another gunshot filled the room. Everyone was silent as they watched Kuchiki press a hand against her stomach, blood pouring between her fingers. Her face was the epitome of shock. Her dark, faded violet eyes were wide with surprise, her mouth turned down in a pained grimace. Her face was so white, she looked like a ghost.

I turned around, surprised myself, facing Kon. Before I could ask why he just shook his head and said, "I had to. She would have killed others. I had to." His voice was so calm and confident, it was obvious that he didn't regret it at all. And not out of resentment, but because he knew it really was the best for everyone. She was gone and she couldn't trick these people any more.

I nodded and placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder lightly, a thick sheet of sweat on my brow. "Let's go," I said, stepping toward the door again. Kon took his place next to me and the others stood behind us, getting ready to run with the uncomfortable weight in their arms.

"Kurosaki," I heard a familiar woman's voice call out to me, causing me to turn and face the crowd again. It was Miyako Shiba. She glanced at Rukia with frightened eyes, but I assured her with my own.

"Yeah?"

"Please...don't go out there," she said, a frown on her face.

I just shook my head, not willing to think about another option. "I have to. We'll send help for you. I promise," I answered quickly and turned back to the door. "Everyone ready?" I asked, not facing them.

A mumble of "yes"s filled the silence-soaked air. I took a deep breathe and gripped the handle to the exit. Shoving the door open, I shouted "Hurry!" as I started to run toward the vehicle we had chosen to take, keys in hand.

And that quickly, we were outside. In the mist. Running for our lives.

_-:-_

I got to the car first, opening the door and turning to find Rukia right behind me. Relief sank in and I couldn't help but smile weakly as I helped her get in quickly. I slammed the door closed and waited for the rest of them. I heard a few screams from the men I knew only as strangers. They were gone. That left Kon and Unahana. Possibly another stranger.

Unahana was next to enter along with another stranger, as I had assumed. I saw Kon running toward us, gun still in hand, but he was suddenly blocked off. One of the flying creatures were standing in front of him, perched on it's hind legs. It grabbed Kon in it's mouth, causing him to scream loudly. It flew away, a still-screaming Kon caught between the monster's lips.

Before they were out of sight the gun Kon had been carrying fell on the windshield right in front of me. I looked at it, wide-eyed and then to Rukia. She knew what I was thinking and shook her head. "No, Ichigo. Don't."

But it was too late. I opened my door and stretched my arm out toward the weapon. My fingertips brushed against the metal as I heard Rukia exclaim, "Get back in her, now!" her hand gripping my shirt. I saw one of the spider creatures crawl toward my hand, but I kept at it, scooting closer. Right before the hissing, football sized spider could reach my hand I grabbed the gun and returned to my seat in the car, slamming the door shut. The spider seemed annoyed and walked away, uninterested now. I looked back at Rukia, still wide-eyed.

"Idiot," she whispered, her brow creased with worry.

I ignored her remark and started the car, pulling out out of the parking lot carefully. Kiba shrank beside Rukia, hugging onto her waist and laying his head on her shoulder. She ran a hand through his orange spikes reassuringly.

"This is it," I said while I started down the road, still being cautious. "Here we go."

_-:-_

Okay, so. Here it is.

So...I'm pretty sure last chapter I promised another...four-ish chapters. Right? Well...about that...:)

The next chapter is the last one. :/ It's...horrible to think about...but it's the truth.

Sorry y'all! :D

Please review! Please!


	11. Chapter 11

I know I just updated a few minutes ago, but I want to finish this! :D I'm more excited than sad, that's surprised me, but I just want it to be over, honestly. :)

So, here it is. :D

Oh, and PS: You can expect this chapter to be pretty short. The end of the book and movie is pretty blunt and I plan on doing it like that, so...sorry again! :)

_-:-_

We drove for a long. There was no way of knowing for sure, no one had a watch and the radio clock didn't work. It felt like days, but I'm sure it was less than 24 hours.

We had a few troubles. About an estimated hour and a half after we left The Store one of the monsters approached us. It was a tentacle monster, and it was **huge**. Even huge doesn't fit an explanation for the size of that thing. It walked over us, it's giant legs missing the vehicle completely. The ground shook like an earthquake was occurring with each step the thing took. Kiba cried silently, still hugging onto Rukia and holing one of my hands, squeezing tightly. I imagined the mental damage Kiba was going to suffer from this horrible experience and felt myself even more than before.

The creature passed and we were unharmed. I started the car again and continued down the road.

Another obstacle we faced was when the car got stuck. There was a massive hole in the middle of the road and I slowly went around it. I wasn't careful enough because one of the tires fell in, refusing to budge. I wouldn't allow the other man to get out and push and took twenty terrifying minutes slamming on the gas until the car finally escaped and jerked us all forward.

The last problem with the ride was inevitable. We ran out of gas. The car slowly inched forward in it's last moments of life before stopping completely, leaving us with no means of transportation. Safe transportation.

I looked at Rukia. She looked miserable as she continued to stroke Kiba's hair. He was now asleep and was still clinging to her. He looked tense, even as he slept.

"...what now?" I heard Unohana's soft voice ask.

I shook my head and looked down. The first thing I saw was not a gun, but an escape. I grabbed the weapon and checked to see how many bullets were left, separating them from the empty shells. Counting quietly to myself I quickly saw that there were only four. Five passengers and four bullets.

I knew right away who would escape, and I was not part of that group.

Rukia quickly caught on to my idea and grabbed my wrist, the bullets making a clinking noise as they bumped together in my sweaty palm. "No, Ichigo...," she started, her voice fading. She wasn't objecting to the escape plan, but the plan to assign the bullets to them.

I nodded as a response. "Yes, Rukia."

I reloaded the gun and got it ready for fire. I looked at the two in the back seat and they nodded, looking down at their hands. I took a deep breathe, held the gun up to the stranger, my hand shaking like crazy, and waited for Rukia to close her eyes and cover Kiba's ears. Unahana closed her eyes also, along with the stranger. I swallowed a lump in my throat, closed my own eyes tightly and pulled the trigger. I quickly aimed the hand gun at Unahana and squeezed the trigger another time. Tears were spilling down my face by this point. I opened my eyes and pointed the gun at Rukia.

She was looking back at me, her eyes wide. Kiba was still asleep. "I love you, Ichigo," she said, her voice thick with sorrow.

"I love you, too," I choked between sobs. She grabbed my hand, causing my hand holding the gun to shake more. I swallowed again and prepared myself to shoot my wife and son. I slowly started to squeeze the trigger when I heard something in the distance. I quickly pulled the gun away from Rukia and peered out my window, thankful for any sort of distraction.

"Don't fool yourself, Ichigo. Just do it!" she pleaded, her voice cracking as she said this.

I shushed her, my eyes widening.

"Ichigo...what?"

Then I saw it. The mist started to spread, to dilute. When I saw the tank pulling through it, people walking along the slow vehicle I cried harder than I was before, holding the collar of my shirt tightly. Rukia saw and quickly opened the door, still holding Kiba. She ran up the men in the military attire, one of them stopping and listening to her. Another opened my door and grabbed my arm, carefully pulling me out as I continued to cry.

Rukia had tears running down her face also as she excitedly explained our situation. Kiba stirred in her grip as he woke. He pulled away from her and she sat him down, too busy in explaining to notice him. He walked over to me and held his arms up to me. I picked him up and hugged him tightly, ashamed that moments ago I was going to kill my own son. I was going to shoot him in his sleep.

"Daddy, why are you crying. Everything's okay," he said, causing me to laugh, a grin spreading across my face.

I pulled away from him slightly, smiling at him and nodding. He smiled back, satisfied with that as my answer. "See, I told you, we're okay. We got out," he answered, his grin growing.

As I pulled him closer again I felt Rukia's small hand on my arm. I quickly grabbed her and hugged her tightly also. The mist was gone. The monsters were gone. The people at The Store were going to be rescued. As I glanced at the trucks driving down the road beside us I saw Orihime standing on one, two children with her burnt orange hair color hugging onto her waist. She smiled at me and I smiled back. We were alive. We were alive and we had our families.

_-:-_

Okay, so sorry if the ending was a little cheesy. It was the best I could do.

Also, I'm sorry the last chapter is so short, but like I said, that's how the book and movie is. Blunt. Also, sorry it's not like Stephen King. His endings usually suck and especially to this specific story. So I changed it. Hope no one minds, ah ha! :D

So...please review.

Thank you everyone who's stuck with the story the whole way. I hope you enjoyed my rather short Bleach re-write of Stephen King's The Mist. It's been a pleasure. Keep an eye out for my next stories and update! :D

Thanks again! Seeya!


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